Who is Samuel Chukwueze?

Samuel was called off the bench in the last few minutes and he delivered a counter-move that earned the visitors a 1-1 draw on the night and a 2-1 aggregate victory. It marks Villarreal's second entry into the semi-finals of Europe's top knockout tier. Chukwueze's latest contribution has paved a way for a promising future for the young footballer.

Samuel Chukwueze: Villareal's Talented Youngster

At 22 years of age, Samuel Chukweze has become one of Villarreal's most celebrated youngsters and an important member of a club that is known for its prolific youth system. The young star hails from Nigeria and is a two-time AFCON selectee. He was a part of the Super Eagles squad that came home third in 2019 and by then he had already started to attract a lot of attention. However, his ability to stay calm in high-pressure situations, especially their recent victory in Munich has become the highlight of his career.

Samuel Chukwueze is a graduate of the Liga outfit's youth academy and the budding footballer turned professional in the 2018-19 season, making 38 appearances across all competitions for Villareal. He was also in the Nigeria squad that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2015. He had received the bronze boot that season and his efforts were further rewarded with the number 11 squad shirt. During his time in Villarreal, he featured in the 2021 edition of the Europa League where his team won but couldn't participate in the final after getting injured in the semi-final clash with Arsenal.

Chukwueze's Strike Sent Bayern Munich Crashing out of the Champions League

Robert Lewandowski had created a lead for Bayern Munich ahead on the night to level the tie on aggregate after Villarreal's 1-0 first-leg victory and the match reached its last stages before Chukwueze struck. As a substitute who had been on the pitch for four minutes, he struck a bewildering counter-attack and converted Gerard Moreno's cross to push Bayern out of the quarter-final stage for the second year in a row.